The kAlI-krama

The khachakra as described in the KhPS has an octagonal circuit in which are seated the 8 yoginI-s who are rejoicing at the great festival of the sport of yoga at the graveyard in karavIra. Inside their circuit are the 5 circuits of the 17-sided polygons (the Gaussian polygon) which shine with the 85 yogini-s. From them emanate another circuit of 85 yogini-s, together forming the 170 yogini-s of the khachakra. These yoginI-s behold in the middle the mighty kAlI, who is known as mahAma~NgalA in the midst of an unimaginable blaze. One of her 9 syllabled mantra-s is hence “namaH shrImahAma~NgalAyaI”. They praise the supreme kAlI, the mistress of the khachakra, who is full of wonder (mahAshcharya) thus:

khaphrekAra-dhAmasthe dhAma-rUpe nira~njane |
chid-dhAma para-dhAmAkhye mahAdhAma pare kale ||
gaganAmbara-saMkAshe nirAdhAra-padoj-jhite |
nabhovyomAntaraakAre manthAnAnte namo.astu te ||
You who reside in the abode of the bIja khaphreM, whose form is the abode [of all] , the stainless, the abode of consciousness known as the primal abode, the great abode and primary unit of time. You who are like the garment of the space, one who is free from even the state without any supporting foundations, you who is within space and vacuum, you who is within the churning one [*1], salutations to you!

[*1] manthAna: this is an allusion to the great bhairava who in a different kula tradition, i.e. that of the pashchimAmnAya is called the most great manthAna bhairava.

Finally mahAma~NgalA manifests as 5 sequences: The first two are series of the 13 kAlI-s, and the remaining 3 are the kAlI-s of dikchara, gochara and bhuchara circuits – this forms the heart of the kAlI kula. In the last circuit she is seen as the vaiShNavI shakti-s — kAlasaMkarShiNI and nArasiMhI, and as the deva-shaktI-s too .